Syria: Throwing Away the Script

Syrian army revolts usually resemble the
ancient battles of Chinese warlords: there is a head count of men and
material in the opposing armies and the larger wins a bloodless
victory. The losers are then jailed or exiled to well-paying diplomatic
posts abroad.

Not so last week, when Syria experienced its twelfth attempted coup
d'état in 14 years and the only one to throw away the script. Led by
ex-Colonel Jassem Alwan, who had already staged an unsuccessful coup
last year, a band of army officers and civilians launched a morning
attack...